Gleaning Informaton From Military Records – Part 2

In Part 1 I explained what a valuable resource Military Records can be in locating vital characteristics of ancestors and collateral family members. I was able to deduct that most of my Grandpa Amore’s brothers and cousins were similar in height, build and eye color. That gives me a clearer perspective on how I ended up with blue eyes and being “vertically challenged”. I also discovered how my grandfather signed his actual name – even though it had been spelled or listed differently in other places – though not by him.

In this article, I will give examples of how I was able to place certain individuals with the correct spouse or parents. Some of them I was unsure of and some of them I had listed as “unrelated” in my family file until I discovered documentation placing them in the correct family.

Adam Christian Goul (3rd cousin of my maternal grandfather, Glen R. Johnson) was located as part of the C.M. and Elizabeth Goul household in the 1900 US Census – except I only knew that his middle name began with a “C” and the month and year of his birth. Once I located his World War II Draft Record (called the “Old Man’s Draft”), I discovered his middle name was Christian (obviously after his father). Since I have discovered that there are many people named “Adam Goul” in my maternal grandfather’s family, I was firmly able to say that this was the same person as in the 1900 US Census by comparing the date and place of his birth and location of residence given on the Draft Record and place this Adam Goul with the correct parents.

William Harrison Goul (another cousin of my grandfather, Glen R. Johnson) has been listed in my family file as William Harry Goul until I found his WWII Registration Record. Since I also have a William H. Goul and many men with the name “Harry Goul” in my file, I wasn’t sure which one this was. This particular gentlemen is listed as Harry W. Goul in the 1900 US Census and as William H. Goul in the 1910 US Census. On the Registration record he listed his daughter as Geraldine and that cinched it for me since she was listed as his child in the 1910 US Census.

1900 US Census

1910 US Census

John Monroe Wilt (1st cousin of my maternal grandmother, Vesta Christena Wilt Johnson) has been listed as John Wilt, son of Charles and Margaret Wilt, in my family file. I did not have a middle name nor a correct birth date. His WWI Military Registration Record listed his age as 18, birthdate as Feb. 4, 1900 and his wife as Elizabeth. His employer was his father, Charles. With at least three different men named John Wilt in my file, this record allowed me to place the correct information for this particular man.

If you have added individuals as “unrelated” in your Family File because you are sure they are related to someone somehow and have some basic information (birth date/location or wife’s name) – study the information presented on Military Records concerning nearest relative, employer, birth date and location in order to turn them into a “related” individual.